A US civil rights activist who resigned from her post at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People after it was revealed that her parents were white said she identifies as an African-American. Rachel Dolezal, 37, was the president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP until she stepped down on Monday . With a tawny complexion and dark curly hair, she built a career as an activist in the black community of Spokane, Washington. She also teaches African Studies at Eastern Washington University."I identify as black," an unapologetic Dolezal told NBC's Today show, in her first interview since her story made headlines.She said that by age five, she was already "drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of peach, black curly hair".Dolezal's parents, from whom she is estranged, have provided local media with a birth certificate and photographs of her as a blonde, fair-skinned child.Said Dolezal of her present appearance: "I certainly don't stay out of the sun, you know. And I also don't, as some of the critics have said, put on a black face as a performance."The discussion is really about what it is to be human," Dolezal said, adding that she hoped the incident "can drive at the core of definitions of race, ethnicity, culture, self-determination, personal agency and, ultimately, empowerment".Said mother Ruthanne Dolezal: "Rachel has wanted to be somebody she's not. She's chosen not to just be herself but to represent herself as an African American woman or a biracial person. And that's simply not true."Dolezal's adopted brother, Ezra, who is black, said: " It's kind of a slap in the face to African-Americans because she doesn't know what it's like to be black ."Ruthanne, said Rachel began to "disguise herself" in 2006 or 2007 after divorcing her husband, who is black. Ezra said his sister's "disguise" included darkening and curling her hair. ..